Previously, in Saffron City...
Inside the Pokémon Megazord's computer, Porygoner had finally gotten it to power back up again after the Rangers used the Demorpher to shut the mech down. As it stood, he turned back towards the city's gym, but suddenly, pain surged through him. "What is happening to me!?" Porygoner sparked as a newly installed firewall tore at his body, purging him from the system. Ejecting out, the digital monster fell towards the street below.
He knew he was dying. He could feel his body readying to explode. As he fell, Porygoner desperately looked around for a way out.
Spotting Silph Tower, he could sense the computer system inside. The pink spots that acted as his eyes turned green and twin streams of data fired from them, shooting through the building and into its computers.
As Porygoner's body hit the ground and exploded, its mind had been emptied. The shell was destroyed and the Rangers went on with their battle, unaware that he had survived.
Reappearing in the computer system, Porygoner wandered for hours, trapped. He could no longer exit into the real world without his body. Despair started to set in and he questioned whether he should've just let himself be destroyed along with his physical form.
And then, he felt something.
"Are they installing updates?" he asked. Indeed, the Silph computer system was being upgraded as he spoke. Following the trail, he located the upload and grabbed on, data being absorbed into his body.
Porygoner's skin smoothed out and actual eyes and a mouth appeared where the spots and speakers had been before. A blaster appeared over his left hand while a miniature keyboard grew on the back of his right, the fingertips of the latter flashing green.
Outside the computer, the employee installing the update frowned as it stalled out, its percentage bar unmoving.
"I hate it when they do this." he grumbled, reaching up and smacking the monitor lightly. "C'mon, move it."
The screen shifted to show the new Porygoner, who reached out his right hand. The Silph employee turned green as he was pulled forward, transforming into data and being sucked in. He hit the ground at the mutant's feet and scooted back nervously as he examined his hand and laughed.
"Perfect. I may not be able to leave anymore..." Porygoner grinned and aimed his blaster at the trapped employee as it powered up to fire. "But if I can just get the Rangers here, then Porygoner 2.0 will have his revenge!"
(Theme song inspired by Power Rangers Zeo Opening)
Kanto, go! (Kanto!) (All 6 Rangers show off their Morphers)
Rockets at the door, (Go, Kanto!) (Ryan stands in a Pokémon arena as the Red Ranger & Charizard Zord are shown)
Stronger than before! (Go, Kanto!) (Brent is training with his Pokémon in Pallet Town as the Blue Ranger & Blastoise Zord are shown)
Powered up for war, (Ginger is playing guitar as the Green Ranger & Venusaur Zord are shown)
Kanto, Poké Rangers! (Go, Kanto!) (Allison is healing her Pokémon in the forest as the Yellow Ranger & Pikachu Zord are shown)
Higher they can soar, (Go, Kanto!) (Rick turns to walk away from Pewter Gym as the Black Ranger & Golem Zord are shown)
Even up the score! (Go, Kanto!) (Jessica stands with her arms folded in the lab as the Violet Ranger & Arbok Zord are shown)
Go go, Poké Rangers! (Mewtwovanni, Rhynix, Persia, and Gengron shown)
Go go, Poké Rangers! (Rangers fight off a collection of G-Spliced before firing Poké Blaster)
Go go, Poké Rangers! (Pokémon Megazord and Onix Venomzord stand together)
Kanto Poké Rangers! (All 6 Rangers pose in front of explosion)
Fuji's lab, present day...
Ryan walked into the lab to find Ginger morphed and dashing around collecting materials. Nearby, Bill was dressed in a stylish business suit, glancing through sheets of notes.
"What are you two up to?" he asked. The Green Ranger waved in greeting as Bill looked up.
"We have a business proposal to get to at Silph Co." the computer expert told him. "Something I've been working on for a while."
"Ah...so what do you have to do with it?" he asked Ginger. She turned to face Bill.
"Should we show him?" she asked.
"Why not?" Bill grinned. "Come here." He waved Ryan over to the computer. As the Red Ranger walked up, Bill started booting up a game.
"What is that?" Ryan leaned in as a White Ranger appeared on screen, standing alone and looking out over an aerial view of Kanto. A title dropped down beside him. "The Lone Ranger?"
"It's a video game inspired by us." Ginger told him as she leaned against the table. "Well, kind of."
"We wanted the players to be able to feel more personal investment, so we created a new Ranger for them to adopt the role of." Bill explained. "Basically, it takes place in a hypothetical future where you guys have fallen. The White Ranger, a secret last resort, travels the region battling Team Rocket and collecting the other Rangers' Morphers, gaining the ability to utilize their weapons and powers. Once all six have been collected, they can face off with the final boss and save the day."
"That's cool." Ryan grinned excitedly. "How long have you been working on this?"
"Since shortly after I met you guys." Bill told him. "Ginger's been helping me playtest it."
"Poké Rangers are, like, the single hottest thing in Kanto right now." Ginger reminded Ryan. "So, Bill figured, we might as well capitalize on it."
"It'll provide us a good source of income." Bill agreed. "Fuji's supply of funds from his Team Rocket days are starting to run a bit thin." He glanced around. "Don't tell him I said that. He didn't want to worry you all."
Ryan frowned at that news, but he couldn't say it was particularly suprising. He was more surprised he hadn't considered it before.
"A game like this would sell like wildfire." Ginger said. "Especially if the actual Poké Rangers themselves approved of it."
"Is that why you're morphed right now?" Ryan asked.
"Yep." She nodded. "I'm going along to give our seal of approval. There's no way Silph will be able to turn down publishing THAT."
"Does Fuji know about this?" Ryan asked. "I have to wonder if he'd approve." The two glanced at each other.
"No." Bill admitted. "But trust me, we're being very careful to keep it all secret. I've already worked on a few games before, so as far as anyone is concerned, I started this after you guys started protecting the region."
"And then we met him by accident while fighting one of Team Rocket's monsters." Ginger went on.
"Which we did." Ryan nodded. "That part's actually true."
"Right." Bill agreed. "We just won't let on that I've continued working directly with you all afterwards. I just asked you to take a look at the game when I met you and you guys agreed. I'll collect the profits from it and funnel them to you, so you'll never have to worry about resources again. No personal gain; it's all going to protecting the region."
"Alright, in that case, I don't see anything wrong with it." Ryan said after a moment of thought. "You guys seem to have covered your bases."
"We have." Ginger glanced at the clock. "But we'd better get moving. The time is fast approaching."
"Right." Bill hopped up and grabbed a briefcase, stuffing his notes inside. "We'll tell you how it went when we get back."
"Why wait? Poké Power, unleash! Charizard!" Raising his Morpher, Ryan transformed into the Red Ranger. "Mind if I tag along?"
Later, in the Silph Co computer system...
Porygoner 2.0 appeared in a streak of green light, landing in a recreation of part of the Kanto Region. Specifically, this was Pallet Town and the route above to Viridian City.
"So, the Rangers are making a game, are they?" Porygoner examined the route around him. "This is perfect!"
Porygoner had watched from the computer as Bill arrived to sell Silph Co's CEO on his Poké Rangers game. He recognized him from when he snuck into the Rangers' base as one of their allies, so naturally, his curiosity was piqued.
Partway through the meeting, the Green and Red Rangers themselves had appeared to talk the game up and give their approval. It took every ounce of self-control in Porygoner's body not to reach out and drag them both in where he could destroy them, but the alternative was much more enticing.
If the Rangers were backing this game, they would surely show up on release day. Why settle for two of the Rangers now when he could strike then and get his revenge on all five of them?
Silph's CEO had delivered a proposal of his own to Bill. Silph was preparing to debut a new virtual reality console, one they hoped would take the gaming industry by storm. He proposed they make the game compatible with it and use it as a launch title. Bill had agreed, saying that he would need a couple of months to make it work.
That gave Porygoner plenty of time.
"Come to me!" Reaching out into the demo's data, he collected this segment's enemies. G-Spliced started to appear one after the other in front of him. "Minions, we have a lot of work to do if we are to destroy the Rangers."
His eyes flashed as he scanned the demo file, making a duplicate of it. Holding out his hand, a vortex of green data swirled to life off the side of the route.
"We will make a trap for them." he declared. "Pull them into a digital nightmare from which there is no escape." Waving for the G-Spliced to follow, he stepped towards the portal. "Hurry! We must be ready when the time comes."
Two months later...
"You ready for this?" Fuji asked. Bill adjusted his tie and exhaled.
"I'm ready." he said. "A little nervous, but I'm ready."
"Mmm." Fuji leaned back in his seat. "I still don't know about this whole deal."
"Trust me, I've been careful." Bill assured him. "I promise. I would never do anything to endanger the team's safety."
"i know." Fuji nodded. "I just...worry a lot. If this whole Ranger operation falls apart, i don't want there to be anything I could've done to save it."
"It IS going to fall apart if we don't have any funds." Bill reminded.
"...yeah." Fuji agreed. "And I've had no luck finding any other options, so it's not like I have any real choice about it."
"Of course you do." Bill told him. "I told you, if you're not okay with it, I'll pull the plug. We can find another way."
"No." Fuji shook his head. "You've put a lot of work into this. It's genuinely impressive. People deserve to see it, and it would help us at the same time." Bill laughed.
"People seeing it...that's what I always look forward to most of all." he said. "There's no greater feeling than that anticipation, waiting for people's reactions to something you've poured your heart and soul into, debating with yourself on and on about how much they'll like it."
"Science is kind of the same." Fuji said. "When you discover something, there's an excitement knowing you get to be the one to show that off to the rest of the community."
"It's a rush better than anything I've ever experienced." Bill agreed. "Maybe that's why I enjoy it so much."
"Hey." Ryan poked his head in the door. "You coming, Bill? If we're gonna make it to Saffron in time, we've gotta get moving."
"I'm on my way." Bill grabbed his stuff and headed for the door.
"You guys aren't going to make a Ranger appearance at the launch, right?" Fuji asked.
"Nope." Ryan shook his head. "We already made our statement when we first went to Silph. We're just going to observe it because, c'mon, we can't miss this!"
"Alright. I'll keep on eye on the region from here." Fuji told him. "Anything happens, be ready to come running."
"You got it." Ryan agreed as he turned to leave. Making their way back to Pallet Town, they loaded up into two vehicles driven by Bill and Jessica and set off for the center of Kanto.
Later that day, at Silph Co...
"Thank you, everyone, for coming here today." the CEO announced to the crowd of people. "I'm as excited as you are for the release of our new Silph Set Virtual Console."
Among the crowd of gamers, the Rangers stood together and listened. They were amazed by the sheer turnout. Ever since Silph had announced it had a Poké Rangers game in development, one backed by the actual Poké Rangers themselves, fans had responded with incredible enthusiasm. But even that hadn't prepared them for a crowd that filled the entire street in both directions. They wondered if the people at the very edges could even hear him speaking.
"Here to give you a demonstration is the game's developer, Bill." the CEO went on. "You may know him as the designer of the Pokémon Storage System, or the developer of the popular Pokémon Battle Simulator series." Several cheers went went up from the crowd as Bill stepped forward and waved. The Rangers added their own to the mix.
"I'll let him tell you all about it. Take it away, Bill." Clapping, the CEO stepped back as Bill stepped up to the microphone.
"Hello everybody." Bill greeted. "For the last several months, the Poké Rangers have defended our region. Nobody knows who they are or where they came from, but we all are grateful for their selflessness and courage in fighting a threat too powerful for the rest of us." The Rangers all smiled amongst themselves, though Bill couldn't see it. He was avoiding looking in their direction while talking about them.
"We all look up to them. We all wish we could be like them." he went on. "Now, through Silph's new VR system, you CAN live out that fantasy."
"In The Lone Ranger, you will take on the role of new, fictional Ranger of my own creation." Bill told the crowd. "You will journey across the Kanto region collecting the powers and arsenals of the other Kanto Rangers. You'll fight and defeat Team Rocket's monsters, and even get to take your own Zord for a spin or two. And by the end, you'll have saved the world."
"While I was developing this game, I had the incredible fortune to meet the Rangers myself." Bill told the crowd, sparking whispers and discussion across it. "They saved me from Team Rocket and were gracious enough to check out my game. And I'll tell you what..." He grinned. "It got their stamp of approval, and if the Rangers find it fun, then I know you all will too."
A VR system was rolled out beside Bill by Silph workers, who hooked it up to a television large enough for the clapping crowd to observe.
"To give you a taste, I'm going to play the first, opening segment of the game." Bill told the crowd, picking up the visor. "Afterwards, you can purchase a copy and the system to play it on inside the store on Silph Co's first floor, or, for those of you watching from afar, at the game store closest to you."
As the tv was turned on, it only showed static. The Silph Co employees knelt to examine its cables.
"It's not supposed to do that." they told Bill. "I'm not sure what..."
Before they could figure out what was going on, the screen out of nowhere cleared to show an image of southwestern Kanto. Bill recognized the graphics of his game, but something seemed off about them. A figure popped up in the center of the screen, an image that seemed very much like one of Team Rocket's monsters, but not one he had programmed in.
The crowd didn't realize it wasn't part of the plan until Porygoner aimed at the screen with his blaster and fired. The shots streaked out through the screen and exploded among the crowd, sending them screaming and fleeing in terror.
"Get out of here!" Bill yelled to them and the Silph employees. "This isn't the game! That thing is real!"
As the crowd scattered, the Rangers pushed to get through, eventually managing to make their way up to the front. Porygoner laughed as he looked out at them.
"Hello again, Rangers." he greeted. His gaze shifted over to Jessica. "And...Jessica? What are you doing here?"
"Porygoner?" Jessica recognized. "You look...different."
"The guy who took over our Megazord?" Rick remembered.
"The one and only." Porygoner told him. "But I've been upgraded to a new level. I am Porygoner 2.0." He frowned. "You didn't answer my question."
"I'm not with Team Rocket anymore." Jessica told him. "I joined the Rangers. Surely they told you that."
"They couldn't tell me anything." he snapped. "I've been stuck here in the computers at Silph since my body was destroyed." Stepping back, the Porygon monster laughed. "But fine. If you want to be a traitor, then you can join them in destruction." Holding up his right hand, a green glow emitted from the screen. "Come in, so we can talk face to face!"
Bill watched as the six Rangers were pulled forward and vanished into the screen.
"Hey!" Running up, Bill smacked the top of the TV. "Let them out of there!"
"I think not." Porygoner laughed. "I should destroy you, but really, I think I'll spare your life. After all, you've made this all possible." He gestured at the G-Spliced gathering behind him. "Thank you for providing me with everything I need to destroy the Rangers." Laughing, Porygoner 2.0 waved his hand and the screen went black.
Glancing around, Bill realized he was alone.
'I've got to get to a working system.' he thought, running in the building. 'Please let them have one.'
In the computer system...
The six Rangers appeared on Route 1 just north of Pallet Town. As they landed in the grass and rose to their feet, Porygoner appeared in front of them.
"So nice of you to visit me." He laughed. "Especially after what you did to me."
"You stole our Megazord." Brent reminded him. "What were we supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to die!" Porygoner roared, aiming and firing his blaster. The Rangers dove aside as an explosion was kicked up where they had stood.
"Enough talk. Let's take him down." Ryan suggested. "Ready?"
"Uh..." Allison held up her wrist to reveal it was bare. Ryan glanced down to find that he also did not have a Morpher.
"What the..." As the Rangers all looked around in confusion, Porygoner 2.0 laughed gleefully.
"You're in my world now." he told them. "You don't get any powers here." Raising a hand, he snapped his fingers. "G-Spliced!"
The Rangers stepped back as nearly a hundred of the foot soldiers appeared around him, growling and hissing at them.
"I'm for running and finding a way to escape." Ginger suggested. "Anyone else?"
"Let's get out of here." Ryan agreed. The team turned and took off into the trees.
"After them!" Porygoner commanded. Half of his G-Spliced chased after the six fleeing humans into the forest. The others turned and faced the opposite direction, as did Porygoner himself.
"Watch it!" Ryan ducked as a shot of acidic spit sailed over his shoulder, dissolving part of the tree in front of him away. Grabbing a branch, he pulled and let it snap back, smacking a G-Spliced into several of its allies, knocking them all down.
"Keep running." Ginger told them. "Remember, there are virtual versions of our Morphers in this game."
"Right." Rick nodded as he dodged away from a G-Spliced's snapping Arbok arm. "We just have to reach them."
"You know where they're all hidden, right?" Jessica asked hopefully.
"Of course I do." Ginger told her. "We need to turn just up here."
She stopped and skidded to a halt as they found themselves back on the road, facing Porygoner and the rest of his minions.
"Surprised to see me?" The Porygon mutant grinned. "There is no escape. No matter where you run, it all loops back."
"How are we going to get our Morphers now?" Allison asked.
"I...don't know." Ginger admitted. "None of them are on this route, so if we're stuck here..."
"That's right." Porygoner agreed as the G-Spliced surrounded them. "You're all doomed."
Back outside in Silph Co...
"Hey!" Bill came running into the main operating room of Silph Tower, gasping for breath after running the whole way. "Do you guys have a VR system that's up and running?"
"Not now, Bill." The CEO waved him away. "We're trying to activate a firewall to destroy this guy."
"What!?" Bill leaped forward and shoved the employee sitting at the computer aside before he could finish. "You can't do that!"
"Why not?" The CEO asked. "We have a monster in our computer system. We can't just let it roam around in there."
"Yeah, but here's the thing." Bill told him. "The Rangers are in there too. He's trapped them. If they're unmorphed, the firewall would see them as a foreign entity too. You could kill them all!"
"And if they're morphed?" the CEO asked.
"Then they'll probably just be seen as part of the game." Bill said. "But we can't take the risk."
"Well we have to do something." Silph's boss insisted. "We have a sentient viral entity in our computer system! Do you know how many sensitive projects this company is working on? If he finds the time to check any out..."
"That's why I need a console!" Bill said. "He's in my game. If I can get in there, I can find him and the Rangers and help them."
"You think a programmed character can destroy a being from outside the game like that?" The CEO asked with a raised brow.
"Probably not." Bill admitted. "But I could at least make sure the Rangers are morphed, and then you could destroy it."
After a moment of thought, the CEO at last nodded.
"Fetch a console." he told the employee. "We'll let him log in and try his plan."
"Thank you." Bill sighed in relief. "Give me fifteen minutes to locate them and make sure everything's secure. After that, activate the firewall and fry that bastard."
"Got it." The CEO nodded in understanding as a Silph Set was brought in and hooked up to the computer. Bill took a seat and placed the visor on his face. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Bill nodded. "Logging in now."
As the game booted up, Bill found himself standing in Pallet Town. He looked down at his body. He had customized his character to look just like himself, so it was like he was actually stepping into this world, not inhabiting some character in it.
'Well, this wasn't where they were.' Bill frowned to himself. 'It looked corrupted in some way, the scene that I saw, but it was unmistakably Route 1.' He dashed off to the north, finding a swirling tornado of green data just off the road. 'Huh. He must've created a copy of this location, probably to prevent the Rangers from having room to escape.' Breathing in deeply, he stepped forward. 'Here goes nothing...'
Soon...
Ryan ducked under a G-Spliced's Scyther blade and kicked it away before narrowly dodging forward as another slashed at his back. Spinning around, he made to kick it down too, but a third rammed into him from the side, sending him rolling across the ground.
Brent ducked low and grabbed a G-Spliced's legs, flipping it off its feet and onto several of its allies. Turning, he dodged back and away as an Arbok arm snapped at him repeatedly, sending him right into the path of another's blade. The Blue Ranger yelled in pain as a slash grazed his back, opening a shallow cut across it.
Jessica grabbed a G-Spliced by the arm and pulled it in front of her as several others spat acid at her, using it to block their shots. Shoving the foot soldier forward, she sent the group toppling to the ground. As she turned to the right, an Arbok arm latched onto her wrist. Yelling, she quickly grabbed it and yanked its fangs free before it had a chance to inject any venom, kicking the arm's owner away before facing off with several more.
Rick snatched a moderately sized stone off the ground and swung it towards a G-Spliced's head, smashing it aside. Turning, he smacked down another's slashing blade and used a shoulder tackle to send it flying into its allies. Hearing more coming from behind, he whirled and leaped back as they slashed down, their blade cleaving his stone in two. Backing away, he glanced around for another weapon as they approached.
Ginger and Allison were doing their best to keep Porygoner back, but it wasn't much. The mutant laughed as he shrugged off their hits and slammed his fist into their chests one after the other, sending both flying back and crashing to the ground at Ryan's feet as he flung a G-Spliced aside.
"You guys okay?" he asked as he helped them up.
"Landed on my wrist a bit." Allison winced and rubbed it. "But I'll be fine."
"No you won't." Porygoner told them, aiming his blaster. The three Rangers dove aside, but not quickly enough, as an explosion blew them off their feet. Porygoner quickly turned and fired at the other three Rangers one by one. They all avoided a direct hit, but none could fully escape.
As the team staggered together with foot soldiers in every direction, Porygoner aimed at them again.
"It's been fun, Rangers." he smiled. "But the time has come for your story to come to a close."
As he fired, a foot slammed into his arm, knocking his aim off-course and causing him to blast several G-Spliced into bursts of data. As he turned, Bill landed another kick into his chest that sent him staggering back.
"Guys!" Bill came running over to the Rangers. "Thanks Arceus I found you!"
"Bill?" Ryan asked. "You got sucked in here too?"
"Nope." The PC expert shook his head. "This is my avatar in the game. I'm using it to help you."
"Ah..." Ginger nodded. "That's smart."
"You've made a grave mistake." Porygoner growled. "I spared you once, but after I deal with the Rangers, I'm going to pull you in and destroy you as well!"
"I seriously doubt you'll live that long." Bill held up his hand. "Inventory." A case appeared and he opened it to reveal the other Rangers' six Morphers. "You guys need these?"
"Sure do." Ginger snatched hers and attached it to her wrist, the others following suit. "Good thing you collected them all."
"No!" Porygoner snapped. "You can't do this! This is my world! You have no power here!" Bill shook his head.
"This isn't your world...it's mine." He waved at the area around them. "You may have copied it, but I created this whole thing." Holding up his wrist, he showed off the Morpher there. "I destroyed you once with that first firewall." Porygoner snarled at that and his glare became even more intense. "And I'll do it again."
"Let's do this." Ryan commanded. "Ready?"
"Ready?" All the others agreed.
"Poké Power, unleash!"
"Golem!"
"Pikachu!"
"Venusaur!"
"Blastoise!"
"Charizard!"
"Arbok!"
"Persian!"
A sphere of white light expanded from Bill's Morpher, surrouding him before dispelling to reveal him in a white version of the male Rangers' suits. His had a Normal type symbol on the chest and, unlike the rest, had black armored shoulderpads. A helmet with a Persian design appeared to complete the transformation.
"Persian Claws!" Two gauntlets appeared on Bill's wrists and hands, each extending five claws from the fingertips. "Let's do this!"
As the other Rangers drew their weapons and took on the G-Spliced, Bill went straight for Porygoner. The mutant fired his blaster, but Bill slashed with his claws, cutting the attacks out of the air.
Leaping, he slashed down Porygoner's front, sending him staggering back. The claw marks were a trail of data, but they quickly restored themselves. Growling, Porygoner swung his arm, but Bill ducked under and past him, slashing as he went. Turning, darkness wreathed his claws.
"Night Slash!" Porygoner roared in pain as the attack sent him flying into a group of G-Spliced, crushing them underneath him. Pulling himself to his feet, he aimed and fired, but Bill dove to the side. Springing off a tree along the route's edge, he leaped towards his opponent. "Slash!" His claws glowed with power as he cut down Porygoner again.
"You can't destroy me." Porygoner laughed as his wounds vanished. "I am beyond your game." G-Spliced came charging past him towards the White Ranger.
"Maybe not." Bill held his hands together, the claws forming a swirling sphere of energy between them. "But I bet this won't feel good. Hyper Beam!" Holding his hands out, a beam of pure power blasted forth, cutting through the group of G-Spliced and causing them to burst into data before smashing into Porygoner, blowing a hole clean through him.
Gasping, Porygoner staggered before the wound slowly closed. Growling, he looked around to find that the other Rangers had disposed of the rest of his minions and were surrounding him.
"No...NO!" Roaring, data flared around Porygoner 2.0's body. "You will not win!" As the Rangers scrambled back out of the way, he began to grow until he was towering over them.
"Looks like it's time to break out the big guns." Bill called to the others before raising his Morpher. "Persian Zord!" In a flash of white, a giant robotic Persian appeared and roared, the White Ranger leaping up into its cockpit.
"He is...really enjoying this." Ginger laughed. They could hear Bill whoop as his Zord leaped at Porygoner and slashed him once more, sending him staggering back.
"Hey, how often is he going to get the chance to fight alongside us like this?" Ryan chuckled. "Let's give him a hand. Onix Carrier Zord!"
"Venomzords!" Jessica added. The virtual versions of the team's Zords all appeared in the same manner Bill's had and they leaped inside.
"Hey, guys." Bill's image appeared on a screen in their cockpits. "Mind if I join your combination?"
"Ours?" Ryan asked. Bill nodded. "I don't see why not."
"Poké Zords, combine!" the Rangers all called.
As Jessica formed the Onix Venomzord, the other Rangers Zords combined to form the Pokémon Megazord. Bill's Persian Zord's head separated and its body split in two at the center, each half unfolding two extra-large and sharp claws. The two segments attached onto the ends of the Megazord's arms and the head rose up towards the Megazord's own. The Pikachu's tail folded down and the Persian head fit over them like a helmet, the Megazord's face showing through its open jaw. Bill appeared alongside them in the cockpit.
"Pokémon Megazord: Beast Mode!" they all called.
As the two Megazords faced the giant mutant, a ring of flame appeared around the whole area. Porygoner gasped as he realized he was trapped.
"There it is." Bill grinned under his helmet. "The firewall is up and closing in." Indeed, the wall was fast coming closer, the circle getting smaller and smaller.
"If I'm going down, I'll destroy you all with me!" Porygoner 2.0 roared, aiming and firing his blaster. The Onix Venomzord swung its spinning Onix Drill, smacking the blasts aside. Charging, the Pokémon Megazord raised its arms and slashed out with its claws.
Porygoner stumbled back, narrowly catching himself before he hit the firewall. Charging forward, he bent and grabbed the Megazord around the waist, grappling with it and trying to throw it off its feet.
"Jess, get him!" Ryan called.
"I got him alright." Moving behind the distracted monster, the Onix Venomzord raised its Arbo-Spear. "Toxic!"
Porygoner yelped as the attack pierced his body, creating a purple glow around the entry point. The wound vanished like all the others, but the poison seemed to remain, making him stagger woozily.
"And now, let's get rid of him for good." Bill declared. The Megazord's claws began to glow with power as they charged forward.
"Crush Claw!" The Rangers all called, the Megazord slashed down with a powerful blow from both directions. The force of the attack flung Porygoner 2.0 backwards, straight into the closing firewall.
The Rocket mutant roared in pain as the firewall tore at his body, data streaming away from him. He tried to run free, but his legs dissolved away into ones and zeroes, sending him falling forward. Before long, the rest of him had vanished as well.
"And that's that." Bill nodded and turned to look at the others, only to find them not there. "Guys?" The firewall closed in full, passing harmlessly over the Megazords before dissipating. "I hope this worked out." Bill muttered. "Logging out now."
Outside, in Silph...
Bill pulled the visor away and looked around the room, finding all six Rangers morphed around him.
"You guys made it out." Bill sighed in relief.
"Yep. Still morphed, thankfully." Ryan told him, glancing at the CEO and other employees nearby.
"You're a real hero." Allison told him. "Without you, we wouldn't be here right now."
"Ah, it was nothing." Bill grinned. "Just...you know, doing what I could."
"It's incredible." Silph's CEO was on the phone, grinning ear to ear. "Keep me updated. Goodbye." Turning to face the group, he cheered. "The game and console are flying off shelves as fast as we can stock them!"
"Really?" Bill blinked in surprise. "I would've thought a Team Rocket attack at the premiere might be, I don't know, bad for business."
"Are you kidding?" the CEO chuckled. "There's no such thing as bad publicity! The news that Team Rocket actually showed up and the Rangers had to deal with them has only made people more excited to try the game for themselves."
"Looks like it's a huge success." Ginger told Bill. "Congratulations."
"Thanks." Bill sighed. "But really, after all this, I'm ready to kick back and relax."
"Same." Jessica sighed. "We really could use a break."
"Then let's get home." Ryan suggested to much agreement.
As the Rangers and Bill left, Silph's CEO made his way to an elevator and descended.
'I wonder if he did get to see them unmorphed while he was in there.' he thought as he passed the ground floor and entered the underground production area. 'I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm just glad we were able to purge that thing from our systems.'
Stepping out of the elevator, he found himself in a hangar, staring up at two colossal aircraft. A third of similar size was partway built nearby.
'It's a good thing he was so distracted planning his trap for the Rangers.' he thought as he gazed at them. 'He didn't have time to discover the Tri-Flyers.' Approaching a desk, the CEO examined various blueprints scattered on its surface, nodding in appreciation. 'When these are done, we'll really throw Team Rocket for a loop.'
Next Time: Everyone has fans, even Team Rocket. But what kind of peson could support a group like that? Find out next time in "The Rocketeers"
(A/N: Man, after the two lengthy hiatuses I took in this story, writing this chapter was a throwback. This was basically a way for me to show off the alternate concept I'd had for the team's Sixth Ranger, the one I ended up not using. I just can't let ideas go to waste XD. Oh, and speaking of ideas not going to waste, something I should say, since I've had a couple people do it so far. If you have monster suggestions, I won't be able to use them for this story. I love seeing your ideas, don't get me wrong, it's just that I already have all the monsters for it planned out. HOWEVER, I am planning a second series and it is not quite so finalized, so if you do have suggestions, they'll have to be for it (it'll be in Johto, if that affects your ideas at all). I can't promise I'll use all of them, but I can certainly consider them and see if they fit with its characters and overall themes. Anyhow, that's all from me for now. Mewtwo, out!)
